Packing for fragile articles



M. KOPPELMAN ANDS. COOPER.-

PACKING FOR FRAGILE ARTICLES. APPLICATION. man IULY 17.1922.

x wmatfouw 'Patentedsept. 12, 1922., I

atented Sept. 12, 1922.

MORRIS KOPPELlitEAN AND SIMON COOPER, 0E BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNORS OF ONE-HALFJTO SAID KOZPPELMAN, AND ONE-HALF TO LEON MANN, OF NEW YORK,

PACKING FOR FRAGILE ARTICLES.

Original application filed April 15, 1922 Serial No. 553,139. Divided and this application filed July 17, 1922. Serial No. 575,516.

. T0 allwhom it may concern:

Be it known that we, MORRIS KorrnLMAN and SIMON COOPER, citizens of the United States, and residents of the borough of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings. city and State of New York, have invented certain new and usefullmprovements in Packings for Fragile Articles, of which the following is a specification.

The improvements relate to packing units for fragile articles, such as eggs, electric light bulbs, and other globular objects made of glass or other brittle material, andhave for their object, among others, the production of a packing unit of highly efiicient' form in such'a manner and of such materials that the strength, durability, and usefulness of the unit are increased and the cost of production decreased. The present application is a division and continuation of our application filed April 15, 1922, Serial No. 553,139, as far as the subject-matter of the same corresponds.

Heretofore it has been proposed to make packing units having holders projecting from a sheet or flat, by taking a sheet of straw-board, heavy paper or the like, and stamping or rolling it so as to produce the projecting holders, but so'far as we are informed none of these proposed devices has ever been extensively used, and none of them has proved to be of' any practical or commercial value. One reason for this is that even if the paper or board is thoroughly saturated with water or other liquid, and then formed by flat dies or rolls, or otherwise, the fibres having once been set-in the orig-- inal making-in certain positions and relations will always have a tendency to return thereto, and to deform the unit and the parts thereof, and to reduce its strength to such an extent that it will not do its work properly. Another reason is found vin the fact that in forming the projecting members from such a sheet of material the areais necessarily very greatly increased, and the fibres stretched and torn, even where openings are made in, the material and the dis placement of the opening utilized in forming the projections. The result is that the holders are weak and badly formed and will not holdtheir shape or resist the shocks and strains of use. If board of sufficient thickness were used to permit the formation of of their upper openings, the pitch or incliholders thereon without rupturing or unduly weakenmg the material, the objection first noted would still be present, and the weight of the board and its cost would be prohibitive. Other reasons which account for the fact that these prior devices have never gone into use are found in the shape and proportions of the holding projections which give them a tendency to yield under ordinary strains and permit the eggs or other articles to become loose in their cells, and even permit the cells to move thereon and displace the eggs or cause them to break, through indirect contact with each other on opposite sides of cell Walls or holders or otherwise.

The present invention is in the nature 0' a modification or improvement of the egg packing described and shown in United States etters Patent No. 1,413,047, of April 18, 1922, to Morris Koppelman, and another, in which conical projections'similar tothose herein shown are set forth, which packing maiy also be made of pulp, as therein stated.

11 practicing the present improvements upstandin holders of substantially conical form are formed in the sheet or fiat simultaneously with the formation of said sheet, as set forth inthe said patent, the'formation of the sheets and the projecting holders being preferably accomplished by one and the same process or series of operations, and these holders have a web or cup-like connecting and reinforcing portion extending over the space circumscribed by the edges nation of the outer walls of the holders being in the opposite direction to that of its inner walls, which, with the bottom portion, form the cup-like interior. In forming these parts wood pulp or cellulose orvother loose fibrous material is employed, the fibres being first placed in a liquid bath. Macerated paper, thoroughly disintegrated and mixed with water until it has the consistency of a thick soup -may be employed, as may other similar materials.

-The formation of the parts may then be made by felting, as described in the said -co-pending application. If desired, and particularly where the nature of the fibre employed makes it advisable, a hardening substance, such as Portland cement may be added to the bath in quantity sufiicient to lit) secure the desired result, but this is not necessary or even preferable in most cases.

We are aware that packing members of this general type have heretofore been described in United States Letters Patent, and

that in such patents it has been proposed ranged asto hold the eggs or other articles securely and to lock the cell walls or fillers against all lateral movement, while at the same time they are only relatively rigidand will have a suflicient, degree of elas ticity to accommodate themselves'to slight variations in the sizes of the eggs or other articles. without cracking or checking them, or permitting such injury under the most severe shocksand strains of shipment and handling. Moreover the nature of the con? struction insures proper and accurate form and the preservation of that form inuse, since anypressure on the unit or any part thereof will tend to move its fibres from theirnormal position and will be constantly resisted thereby, to the end that the parts will always have a tendency to return to their original form, which causes them to exert a counter pressure when slightly pressed or drawn therefrom and to hold the articles in a firm but only relatively rigid grip.

The usefulness of the device in preventing breakage of eggs and other articles in.

packing, shipping and handling and for other purposes Wlll be apparent. In addition tothese advantages however the construction permits theinspection of the eggs .without removing them from the flats on which they are 'mounted and the exhibition ofthem in stores and elsewhere on the said flats. When the cell-forming fillers are removed from the flat the eggs will remain in position on their holders, and a flatusually supporting thirty-six eggs-may be taken out of a case or crate without disturbing the eggs thereon, and restored thereto after inspection or exhibition. This is largely due to the fact that the holders are preformed so that the flat and its holders thereon maintain their form, even after the innumerable shocks and vibrations of a long railroad journey, cartage and handling.

The improvements are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, referred to herein, in, which Figure 1 is a vertical medial section of a portion of two of the packing units with fillers of standard form between .them and e gs positioned in the holders, and Fig.

2 is a plan thereof.

acao? The holding and packing units consist of sheets of material 2 with raised cone fru's tum-like members 1 thereon, arranged in parallel rows. Each sheet will usually have six, rows of six holders each, making thirtysix holders in all, this being the standard capacity of ordinary sheets or flats and the cell forming members or fillers between them. The portions of the sheets between the projecting holders are curved upwardly to a slight extent or grooved as shown at 8, where they receive the edges of the filler 3, so that when a sheetis placed on the top of a filler it will engage the upper edges of the filler members in 'these grooves and thereby provide' ja means for further posiltioning' and holding the two: parts. The

lower edges of'the filler are securely held between the projecting holders. 1 Each holder consists of an; upwardly and inwardly in-. clined rin t 'and a downwardly and inwardly inc 'ned interior wall 5 with an approximately horizontal bottom and central portion 6, the .anglesand'. arrangement of these members maybe varied to some extent, but it is import-ant that the opening at the top, shall be large enough to receive either end of the egg or other article to be placed therein, so t e edges of the opening will engage the wall of the article at such an angle that there will be a degree of wedging action. The'depressed central portion of the holder extends to a point above the sheet proper 2,,which is the base of the holder, so that normally it does not come in contact with the article positionedtherein, except at its upper part. If however pressure is exerted in forcing the article therein so that the holder is spread to some extent no harm will bedone, and the holder will grip the'article because of the tendency of the holder to return to its normal shape due to the fact that the fibres of which it is. composed have been brought together and permitted to, set and dry in substantially normal positions, that is to say without being distprted to any material extent by force or any other influence. Nevertheless the holders will serve their purpose, perhaps less efficiently, if the pup-like inside portion and the mouth or apertureare made large enough to permit the bottom of the article to rest normally upon the bottom of the cup, without wedging. It has been found that where the holders are thus formed they have greater strength, and will preserve their shape under all ordinary conditions of use. The bottom portion. 6 is preferably slightly concave-convex, but this is not absolutely essential, nor is its exact position. These may be varied according to the nature of the article, and the use to which the packing is put. In the drawing eggs 7 are shown,

and it will be observed that they rest upon have their upper ends immediately below the bottom portions 6 of the holders above, which may receive other eggs or be employed as a cushion between the top or bottom layer and the walls of the case or package. Usually ten layers of eggs formed in the manner shown are placed in one case,

and will at the same time be separated from those above and below it and held. Nor is the construction limited to one in which the upper end of'the eg is held by the middle bottom portion of t e holder above it.

An important advantage of the construction herein set forth is that any number of/ sheets may be superposed one upon another, with the holders telescoped, so that a nested relation is obtained, greatly reducing the space occupied by a certain number of fillers when they are stored or shipped empty.

While the manufacture of the holders in the manner herein described and of the substances mentioned secures a peculiar and advantageous result, it must be understood that the improvements are not limited to any particular method of manufacture or composition, so far as they relate .to the form and arrangement. The form of each holder is substantially an arch, of which the egg or other globular article therein forms the keystone so that great strength and durability and resistance to shocks and jars is obtained, and the tendency of these strains to deform and break down the holder is resisted. This would not be the case if the holders were so formed that they would give way and spread or bend. The cuplike concave portion span-' ning the opening at the top of each holder also forms in effect a reverse arch to resist strains tending to crush the holder or cause it to give way; and the fact that the bottom portion of the cup-like member is normally out of contact with the globular article positioned in its upper edges is important to the performance of this function though not essential. The inclined sides of the holders diverging from one another form in effect deep channels or grooves, with wide mouths and narrow bottoms, so that when the fillers are placed thereon they will be guided to the bottom thereby and to a position in which their lower edges are confined in a relatively narrow space, so as to lock them in position and prevent lateral movement. In the drawings these fillers are shown as of rectangular form, but it is obvious that they may have any other suitable form so long as they fit the holders. The holders also, instead of beingarranged with the centers of adjacent rows opposite each other may be arranged in staggered or other relation, and the fillers modified accordingly.

What We claim is:

1. A packing for eggs and other fragile globular articles, comprising a sheethaving thereon a series of projecting holders each consisting of a round upstanding rim of substantially truncated conical form, an inwardly and downwardly inclined interior part extending to a point near the base of thesaid upstanding portion, and a central bottom portion, the downward inclination of the said inner portion being approximately tangential'to the curve of the article to be placed therein, the space defined by the edge formed by the junction of the'upstanding portion and. the interior portion being of lesser diameter than the greatest diameter of said article an'd adapted to hold the latter by contact therewith between its middle and its bottom and the bottom part of theholder bein normally below the said bottom of the artic e. I

2. 'A packing'for eggs and other fragile globular articles, comprising a sheet having thereon a series of projecting holders each consisting of a round upstanding rim of substantially truncated conical fofm, an inwardly and downwardly inclined interior part extending to a point near the base of the said upstanding portion, and a central bottom portion, the downward inclination of the said inner portion being approximately tangential to the curve of the article to be placed therein, the space defined by the edge formed by the junction of the upstanding portion and the interior portion being of lesser diameter than the greatest diameter of said article and adapted to hold the latter by contact therewith between its middle and its bottom and the bottom part of the holder being normally below the said bottom of the article, but above the bottom surface of the sheet.

3. A packing for eggs and other fragile globular articles, comprising a sheet having thereon a series of projecting holders each consisting of a round upstanding rim of substantially truncated conical form, an inwardly and. downwardly inclined interior part extending to a point near the base of the said upstanding portion, and a central bottom portion, the downward inclination of the said inner portion being approximately tangential to the curve of the article to be placed therein, the space defined by the edge formedby the junction of the upstanding portion and the interior portion being of lesser diameter than the greatest diameter of said article and adapted to hold the latter by contact therewith between its middle and ceive other articles or act as a cushion or packing.

4. A packing for eggs and other fragile globular articles, comprising a sheet having thereon a series of projecting holders each consisting of a round upstanding rim of substantially truncated conical :form, an inwardly and downwardly inclined interior part extending to a point near the base of the said upstanding portion, and a central bottom portion, the downward. inclination of the said inner portion being approximately tangential to the curve of the article to be placed therein, the space defined by the edge formed by the junction of the upstanding portion and the interior portion being of lesser diameter than the greatest diameter of said article and adapted to hold the latter by contact therewith between its-middle and its bottom and the bottom part of the holder being normally below the said bottom of the article, the said sheet and its said holders being pre-formed in the shape described by fibres brought together and lying upon one another in normal positions.

5. A packing unit for eggs and other fragile globular articles consisting of a sheet having upstanding relatively rigid holders for such articles thereon, each holder con sisting of a circular ring-like device with upwardly and inwardly inclined outer walls and downwardly and inwardly inclined inner walls, and a laterally disposed portion at the bottom thereof, said unit being adapted to be superposed on other similar units and to have other similar units superposed thereon with the holders telescoped so that a plurality of the said units may be nested. v

6. A packing unit for eggs and other fragile globular articles consisting of a sheet having upstanding relatively rigid holders for such articles thereon, each holder consisting of a circular ring-like device with upwardly and inwardly inclined outer walls and downwardly and lnwardly inclined inner walls, and a laterally disposed portion at the bottom thereof, said unit being formed of free fibres superposed and assembled in the form described in normal positions.

7. A packing for eggs and other globular acao? articles, comprising a sheet having thereon a series of raised members for receiving and holding the said articles, said raised members being spaced apart and arranged in rows, and the sheet having convex portions extending parallel with said rowsand between them.

8. A packing for eggs and other globular articles, comprising a sheet of fibrous material having thereon a series of raised holders, each holder comprising an outer annular wall extending upwardly and inwardly from the sheet, an interior portion extending inwardly and downwardly from its upper edges and spanning the aperture bounded by said upper edges, said outer wall being relatively rigid, and said inner portion forming a relatively deep cup or inverted dome connecting the said upper edges and reinforcing them against spreading strains, as when a globular article is forced in between said edges, the construction and relation of the parts being such that the said article maybe pressed in between the said edges so as to wedge therein without pressing against the lower part of the said inner portion. v

9. The combination of upright c0mpartment forming members, and flat members at the top and bottom of said upright. members and normally in contact therewith, said flat members having relatively rigid holders projecting into compartments, each of said holders being pre-formed with an aperture at its upper part and a cup-like member inside it of a size to receive the end portion of the egg or other article without material expansion or compression when the compartment forming members and fiat members are in normal position.

10. The process of packing eggsand other globular articles, which consists in placing the said articles in individual cup-like hold ers mounted ona flat member, each cup-like holder having a recess of a size to receive the end portion of one of said articles and support it vertically and laterally,; placing upright compartment forming members comprisin intersecting strips of material over said olders, so that the strips enter between them and each article is received by a compartment and the compartment forming members are held in position by the said holders, then placing another member consisting of similar holders and flat memher on the said cell-forming members to close the cells at the top, without materially compressing or expanding the first mentioned holders. I

Witness our hands this 12th 'day of July, 1922, at the city of New York, in the county and State of New York.

MORRIS KOPPELMAN. SIMON CQOPER. 

